Raipur, Oct 15 More than two years after losing her leg in a Maoist-planted pressure IED, a 20-year-old tribal woman from Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district will be able to walk again after receiving a prosthetic limb at an event organised by the Dantewada district administration on Thursday.
Madkam Sukki, a resident of Bheemapuram village in Sukma, had gone to collect mahua with a friend on the morning of May 26, 2024, when she stepped on an IED placed under the ground by Maoists.
Sukki suffered severe injuries to her left leg, which was later amputated at a hospital in Raipur.
“Sukki was among 30 victims of IED blasts who received artificial limbs and other assistive devices at a camp organised in Dantewada district headquarters. The devices included prosthetic limbs, callipers, hearing aids and tricycles,” an official said.
The three-day free camp, being held from October 15 to 17 under ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’, is sponsored by Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti, Jaipur, and the NSE Foundation, with support from the district administration, he said.
Speaking to PTI over the phone, Sukki said she was devastated by the loss of her leg, especially as she had lost her mother long ago and her father a few years ago.
“My life changed after I lost my leg. I could neither play with my friends nor work properly,” said Sukki, who lives with her paternal uncle and her younger brother.
Sukki said she never attended school and speaks the local dialect. She thanked the administration for providing her with a prosthetic limb.
Madkam Munna (34), a police constable who lost his left leg in a pressure IED blast during a search operation in Sukma district in 2013, also received a new prosthetic limb at the camp.
Munna said he joined the police force as a special police officer (SPO) in 2010 and was later promoted to assistant constable.
A resident of Dornapal village in Sukma, Munna is currently posted at Dornapal police station, where he performs office duties.
He said his wife, who had supported him after the incident, died earlier this year due to a kidney-related ailment. He now lives with his mother and sister.
Addressing the event virtually, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said several innocent people had lost their limbs in Maoist violence.
These assistive devices would make their daily lives easier and help them become self-reliant.
“The Chhattisgarh government has been working with the Jaipur-based organisation to provide artificial limbs, callipers, tricycles, wheelchairs, hearing aids and other equipment to those affected by IED blasts,” Sai said.
The state had succeeded in ending Maoist violence by the March 31, 2026, deadline set under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, he further said.
Sai paid tribute to security personnel for their courage and acknowledged the support of Bastar’s residents in the fight against Maoism.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also addressed the event virtually.
Shah said Naxalism had inflicted immense suffering on the poor tribal communities of Bastar. Using IEDs to inflict disabilities on innocent civilians in pursuit of political objectives was the gravest violation of human rights, the Union minister said.
“We must heal the wounds inflicted by this suffering, help victims stand on their feet again, and ensure they can live with dignity and respect,” he said.
Dantewada Collector Devesh Kumar Dhruv said around 1,000 people had been identified for assistance, of whom 768, including those affected by Maoist violence, had registered for the camp.
They include 509 beneficiaries from Dantewada, 197 from Bijapur and 62 from Sukma. The beneficiaries are being provided free tricycles, wheelchairs, walkers, walking sticks, crutches, hearing aids, artificial limbs and spectacles for visually impaired people, among other assistive devices,” he said.
(PTI News)
